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July 14 is France's national holiday, and even President Donald Trump is in the capital of Paris to celebrate alongside America's oldest ally.

Here's a quick rundown on Bastille Day,

What's so special about the 14th?

In 1789, just six years after the end of the American Revolution, the same feeling was fomenting against the monarchy in France. On July 14 of that year, it bubbled over as an angry crowd of Parisians stormed the Bastille prison.

Built a half-century earlier as a fortification to protect the eastern entrance to Paris, the Bastille was a symbol of royal oppression by the time of the revolution, holding political dissidents behind its 100-foot walls and wide moat. Somewhat ironically, by the time of its storming, the prison was slated for demolition and held just seven prisoners.

The storming marked the beginning of the French Revolution that saw the end of the monarchy and the beheading of King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette.

When did it become a holiday?

The celebration of Bastille Day didn't begin for a century, with the first military parade marking the holiday on 1880. Troops still march along Paris' famed Champs-Élysées in the oldest and largest parade of its kind each year on the 14th , and the rest of the revelry resembles America's Fourth of July festivities with fireworks, food and plenty of patriotic music.

Recently elected French President Emmanuel Macron invited Trump to celebrate Bastille Day in Paris as a way to mark the 100th anniversary of the United States' entry into World War I.

The nations' history in taking up arms together goes back much farther, with France providing vital assistance during the Revolutionary War. The relationship between the nations' has remained strong since, though some of Trump comments about France during the 2016 campaign and his decision to leave the Paris Climate Agreement raised concerns.

In a joint press conference Thursday, however, Trump walked back his criticism and acknowledged that though the nations may not always agree, nothing can break "the immortal bonds of culture, destiny and liberty that unite us."

Tragedy in 2016

A pall was cast over the France's Bastille Day celebrations last year as an ISIS-inspired attacker drove a truck into a crowd in the southern city of Nice, killing 86 people and injuring 458 others. The attacker, Tunisia-born France resident Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, was fatally shot by police.

Terrorism and related violence has remained an major issue in France, with the nation in a state of emergency since coordinated attacks in November 2015 killed 130 in Paris. And just last week, a 23-year-old man described as a far-right nationalist was arrested for plotting an assassination of Macron on Bastille Day.

Trump recalled the Nice attack in his remarks Thursday and reaffirmed the United States' dedication to its ally.

"Ever since General Lafayette joined the American fight for independence, our fates and fortunes have been tied unequivocally together," Trump said. "It was a long time ago, but we are together, and I think together perhaps more so than ever."